Trump Signs EO on Collective Bargaining03/28 06:26

   President Donald Trump moved Thursday to end collective bargaining with 
federal labor unions in agencies with national security missions across the 
federal government, citing authority granted him under a 1978 law.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump moved Thursday to end collective 
bargaining with federal labor unions in agencies with national security 
missions across the federal government, citing authority granted him under a 
1978 law.

   The order, signed without public fanfare and announced late Thursday, 
appears to touch most of the federal government. Affected agencies include the 
Departments of State, Defense, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Health and Human 
Services, Treasury, Justice and Commerce and the part of Homeland Security 
responsible for border security.

   Police and firefighters will continue to collectively bargain.

   Trump said the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 gives him the authority to 
end collective bargaining with federal unions in these agencies because of 
their role in safeguarding national security.

   The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 820,000 
federal and D.C. government workers, said late Thursday that it is "preparing 
immediate legal action and will fight relentlessly to protect our rights, our 
members, and all working Americans from these unprecedented attacks."

   "President Trump's latest executive order is a disgraceful and retaliatory 
attack on the rights of hundreds of thousands of patriotic American civil 
servants -- nearly one-third of whom are veterans -- simply because they are 
members of a union that stands up to his harmful policies," AFGE National 
President Everett Kelley said.

   AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in a statement, "It's clear that this 
order is punishment for unions who are leading the fight against the 
administration's illegal actions in court -- and a blatant attempt to silence 
us." She also vowed, "We will fight this outrageous attack on our members with 
every fiber of our collective being."

   The announcement builds on previous moves by the Trump administration to 
erode collective bargaining rights in the government.

   Earlier this month, DHS said it was ending the collective bargaining 
agreement with the tens of thousands of frontline employees at the 
Transportation Security Administration. The TSA union called it an "unprovoked 
attack" and vowed to fight it.

   A White House fact sheet on Thursday's announcement says that "Certain 
Federal unions have declared war on President Trump's agenda" and that Trump 
"refuses to let union obstruction interfere with his efforts to protect 
Americans and our national interests."

   "President Trump supports constructive partnerships with unions who work 
with him; he will not tolerate mass obstruction that jeopardizes his ability to 
manage agencies with vital national security missions," the White House said.